


All The Stars In The Sky

by StarReads



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alien Biology, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Blood and Gore, But only in later chapters, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Is Heavily Suicidal, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Chug and Maple are there, Cryptic Nightmares, Cults, Diana Fisher Lives, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, From this point on, Gender Identity, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Henry Fisher Dies, How Do I Tag, I have NO clue how to write Mable but i'll try, I try to keep them all alive, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Larry Fisher Lives, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mary had shit parents, Mary is the token straight friend, Mia is a trans woman, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character-centric, Past Violence, Ron is nonbinary but doesn't know the term yet, Ron's mom is a recovering alcoholic, Sal gets a happy ending, Sal needs a hug, Self-Indulgent, TRAVIS AND NEIL GET PLOT RELEVANCE, Tags Contain Spoilers, Todd doesn't get sidelined, Travis references self harm for religious reasons, Witches, and Hella Valid, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22364686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarReads/pseuds/StarReads
Summary: Veron has lived in Brentburry his whole life. When his mother gets a job offer from her old hometown, he never expected her to take it.She insists that being closer to his brother, and his roots, will be good for him. Veron's not so sure about that.Something seems off about Nockfell. And he's determined to figure out what.
Relationships: Ashley Campbell/Original Female Character(s), Larry Johnson/Original Character(s), Sal Fisher/Travis Phelps, others in background - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 9





	1. They Lived On Elmwood Avenue

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely self indulgent, and basically my response to EVERYTHING that happens in Chapter 4 and 5. 
> 
> This is post Chapter 3 btw. They're all Juniors. 
> 
> Also, Lisa and Diana are lesbians because I DO make the rules. (And Henry makes me m a d)

  
They lived on Elmwood Avenue. It was a quiet place, bordering the local woods. Children ran up and down the sidewalk from dawn till dusk. And Veron was happy. 

Every day, he chased after his older brother and his friends on their bikes. He skipped rope with his best friend, Mary. He watched his dad in the workshop, building chairs and desks and tables. When his Mom came home, he told her about the books he was reading and the games he played. 

Sometimes he would help her make dinner. Otherwise, he would climb out onto the roof and watch the sun set. He'd always been drawn to heights, to the stars that hung like fairy lights above him.

One night, he woke up to strange noises. He peeked out of his room, and the lights were on downstairs. Creeping through the hallways, he crouched at the top of the stairs. The strange figure in the doorway didn't turn to him. He stared out the open door, motionless. 

His heart fell silent. He came down the stairs slowly, an otherworldly dread filling his lungs. He reached a slow, unsteady hand to grasp at the mans coat. He felt the boards beneath him shudder and shake. The man turned to leaves beneath his fingers. 

Suddenly he was back in the woods, and he took off running. Mary called for him in the distance. He tripped over something, falling hard and slamming his nose into the hard ground. He looked back, his legs caught on a bloody saw. 

He screamed, and even awake he kept screaming.


	2. Moving On and Moving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veron's in a brand new place, and he's a little nervous, but in a good way. Also, Mary has way too much energy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this so much!
> 
> I'm purposelly avoiding describing Veron unti chapter 3. For reasons unexplained as of now :3

Veron laid perfectly still in the back of the car, drawing in deep breaths. His throat stung from the screaming. It had taken him an hour before he could move from the shitty motel bed to the bathroom, another 45 minutes to will himself out of the shower. His nightmare still clawed at the back of his head. 

(Bloody saws and loose floorboards. Little lost girls and huge dark shadows. A man in a thick black coat and autumn leaves. Always there, always present, never mind that he couldn't sleep most nights, the dreams always came anyway.)

His mom drove on in silence, focused on the road. Next to him, his baby brother Alex slept like the dead. It felt as if neither of them were there at all. Just him and his demons, driving 65 miles an hour on a deserted highway towards a small, unknown town in the middle of nowhere. 

Brentburry had been a small town, sure, but not as small as Nockfell is. How his mother had landed a better job out in the rolling hills of Midwestern America was beyond him. He wanted to go back to North Carolina, back to his quiet suburban neighborhood, back to what was familiar. 

Maybe he didn't have a lot of friends at his old school, but at least people knew enough about him, just enough, so they didn't bug him. Here he'd have to completely start over.

Well, not completely.

When she was 12, Mary, his best friend in the whole wide world, had moved to Nockfell with her older brother, Marin, and Veron's older brother Aven. Marin and Aven were starting a life together, away from the judgement of their small town neighbors, and they'd opted to take Mary along for the ride.

As far back as Veron could remember, Marin and Aven had been inseparable. Almost as inseparable as he and Mary were. It had made his whole year when they'd started dating. He had been like, six, and all he could do was pester the two of them about getting married. He hadn't really understood _why_ the adults coughed so loudly when he said that. He was an innocent six-year-old boy who just desperately wanted to be related to his best friend.

Looking back on the memory made him smile like a dope. At least with the three of them around, he wouldn't be lonely. Who knows, maybe he could make some friends too. His mom had reminded him 27 times in the past week alone that he 'needed to make friends this time'. 

(He knew that wasn't what she was _really_ worried about. She just didn't want him dwelling on the past anymore)

(Sometimes he wondered if she still believed him)

They passed by a sign, and on the distance, Veron could see the faint outlines of houses and buildings. He leaned forward slightly in his seat to get a closer look, eyes slightly wider than before. His mother's narrow brown eyes fluttered back to meet his own. 

"Excited?" she asked him. Her voice was a little thicker than normal, probably because she was tired. Veron was excited of course, but he was a little embarrassed to admit it. He was like, 16, but he felt like a kid again.

Alex began to stir in his booster seat, and effortlessly as always, he dodged her question to check on his brother.

Alex's father was completely unknown. Sometimes Veron liked to speculate on what kind of person he was. All he had to go off of was his hair color, a brilliant reddish-pink that made his skin glow. He had his mom's eyes, and judging by his darker skin tone, he'd taken almost completely after her. Right now, the leading theory for the identity of his father was "alien from Mars", because for a three-year-old, Alex was strange.

He was walking almost perfectly by the time he was 1, and he'd begun speaking shortly afterwards. He seemed much smarter than he should be, and he was constantly trying to climb as high as he could. (Just like him) It was kind of weird, but then again, everyone in his family was weird.

Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, his mother came to a stop right in front of their new home. The moving van, that must have arrived early, was parked outside as well. A few people were gathered at the back of it, and Veron found himself vibrating in anticipation.

His mother sighed fondly. "I've got Alex," she said. As soon as the last syllable passed her lips, Veron flew out of the car. The uneven ground beneath him didn't slow him down in the slightest, and he zeroed in on his target with a wild, gleeful grin.

She was sitting on the unpacked sofa, legs crossed. Her wild electric yellow hair was curled today, tucked behind her ears. She was wiry and lean, built for speed like all runners are. She was wrapped up in conversation with the girl sitting next to her. 

The girl next to her had brown hair, thick and wavy, in a ponytail, and light-blue eyes so clear they looked white. She was holding a book to her chest, chattering away. She seemed to be the only one dressed for the weather, a warm orange sweater tucked neatly into her blue jeans.

A few feet away, Aven and Marin stood quietly talking. Marin's long brown hair was sticking to the back of his plaid shirt. Aven was holding a few boxes, making it clear they'd been moving things into the apartments. His own curls were frizzed out wildly, and he was slightly pink from exertion.

With a loud battle cry betraying his intentions, he launched himself onto his friend. She screamed and then laughed, punching him square in the stomach. He slumped over, wheezing. Then with a wolfish grin he hooked an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in for a noogie. The girl next to them giggled softly to herself.

"Get off me, Ron! Ugh, You're fucking heavy!" Mary said, pushing feebly at the taller boy. Veron snickered, but relented, scooting off his friend and onto the couch. 

"You're such an asshole. My hair was looking good today," she whined, brushing the top of her hair down. 

"Language, Mary. There are children present," Marin chided her. He turned to grab something from the truck, and Mary stuck her tongue out at him.

"Be nice," the black-haired girl said. 

"Fine, fine. Oh, Ron! Meet Mia. Mia, meet Ron," Mary said. She snatched Veron's hand and dragged it forward, so he was leaning over her. He rolled his eyes.

Mia took his hand and shook it. Ron's elbow flopped like a limp macaroni. Mary loomed pleased, in her own weird way. Wiggling out from under their arms, she stood with a cheerful bounce to her step.

"Macaroni, do you have to go unpack right away?" she asked, though really it was more of a plea. Her eyes shone with some sort of odd quality. 

With a sigh, Veron shook his head. Whatever Mary had planned, it wasn't like he could get out of it anyway. Mia stood up, brushing leaves of her jeans. The sight made Veron's stomach churn a little. The orange leaves caught wind, and for a second he smelled copper.

"Great! The nabbers are all downstairs, so I thought I'd introduce you to them," Mary said. Without any further explanation, Mary started marching towards the front door. Veron looked to Mia, a little confused.

"She's...well, you'll see who she was talking about soon, so whatever. My name's Mia, as you know. I live here too, with my folks. Apartment 203. You're up in 304, right?" She said, beginning to follow Mary.

Veron nodded dumbly, scanning the outside of the building for a way up. He was sure he'd be able to get out through his window, but he wanted a more direct path to the roof. Maybe there was a roof access door somewhere?

They entered the buildings, and an overly eager Mary ushered him straight intot he elevator.

"Your mom should have the basement access key already. Don't forget to remind her about it, otherwise you'll be stuck with dirty clothes! Oh, Mia, can I have your key?" Mary reached and snatched it from Mia's back pocket.

"Why even bother asking? You know what, never mind. Why don't you get a copy yourself?" Mia huffed. The doors closed in front of them as Mary fiddled with the keypad.

"I don't live here so Mr. Addison won't give me one," she explained. She stepped back in the elevator, and the floor beneath her squeaked on her shoe. Veron winced, scrunching his eyes shut.

They arrived in the basement, and Veron immediately zeroed in on a familiar song blaring through the walls.

"Fucking Sanity's Fall?!" He said, immediately interested in whoever was playing the tunes. He adored metal and rock music and had a deep respect for fellow metal heads.

Mary led the way to one of the doors. Instead of knocking, she hollered at the top of her lungs ,"SOMEONE OPEN THE DOOR!" Mia shook her head.

There was some shuffling behind the door, and then it swung open.

"Hey, Mary. Hey, Mia. Who's your friend?" asked the stranger in the doorway. He was tall, maybe four or five inches taller than Veron. He had long, messy black hair that matched the light stubble on his chin and neck. He had a very prominent nose, and his smile betrayed the little gap between his teeth. Veron looked away, a little embaressed for some reason.

"My name's Veron," he said, trying to sound casual. From the corner of his eye, he could see that the guy in the doorway was still smiling. 

"Cool name. Mine's Larry. Come on in!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mary has like, no chill.


	3. Meeting the Ghost Nabbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veron meets the ghost nabbers!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the plot isn't as messy as it feels.
> 
> Can you tell i suck at writing dialouge??

Veron stepped inside and looked around, taking in the strange new faces around him. Sitting on the couch to his left were three people.

The first was pasty white, covered in freckles. Black glasses framed his eyes, and atop their head was a mop of red curls. He was lean, wearing relaxed, comfortable clothes. Right next to him was a tall man with dark skin and short, thick, black dreads. His face had scratchy, dark stubble that framed his sharp jawline. He was leaned up against the red-head, staring at his computer screen with a strange look on his face.

The last person on the couch had long brown hair, pushed back from her face by huge, tacky barrettes. Her eyes were closed, and she was laying across the couch in a weird position, dozing off. How she managed it with the loud metal music blaring from one of the rooms farther into the house, he'd never know. Right next to her was a bag of chips, tucked between her arm and the couch and crinkling as she breathed.

At the table by the kitchen, two women sat drinking a bottle of wine. The one whose face he could see had brown hair, and a nose exactly like Larry's. She was dressed in a tracksuit, like a janitor's uniform. Maybe it was a janitor uniform? She had brown eyes and a prominent mole on her cheek. 

  
The woman next to her had blonde hair, but since her face was turned away from him, he couldn't tell what color her eyes were, or what her face looked like. The dress she was wearing was bright yellow and looked comfortable. Veron wondered idly where she bought it, since it looked nice and Veron was always looking for new clothes.

Larry cleared his throat before he spoke. "Hey guys, Mia and Mary are here and they brought a friend," he hollered. The three people on the couch looked up.

"Oh, hey! Nice to meet you, I'm Ash," said the girl on the couch as she sat up. Her smile seemed genuine, warm and inviting. Almost like she was just genuinely happy to be there. The red-head was also smiling, and Veron noted that he had braces, and maybe a retainer.

"I'm Todd. You new here?" He asked. Veron nodded, before continuing to let his eyes wander across the room. The boy cuddled up next to Todd stretched out with a yawn. Todd wiggled out of his arms to set the computer on the coffee table.

"Sorry, just tired. I'm Neil," he said. Neil swung his feet off the couch and leaned over to grab one of the drinks off the table. Ron noticed that his hair was actually a little longer than he thought it was, and it had about three pencils and a red crayon jammed inside the dreads. The two woman drinking wine finally turned to look at them.

"Hi, Ms. Fisher!" Mary said. She strode across the room and plopped down onto the arm of the couch. Her arm shot out to snatch a chip from Ash's bag. Mia also pushed past Ron, striding over to the couch and sitting in front of it. She tilted her head back, so the crown was leaning against the couch.

"Ash, did you print those pictures?" Mia asked. Ash immediately launched into a tirade about "the dark room" (whatever that was). Mia's mouth twitched a little, and her eyes crinkled as she listened to Ash.

Veron smiled to himself, turning to greet the others in the room. He froze when he realized the blonde woman (Ms. Fisher?) was staring at him. He felt something twist in his stomach, like someone was skipping rope with his lower intestines. 

Veron knew why. It was... understandable. Everyone always reacted like this when they saw him. It didn't make it any less hurtful, but Veron knew better than to hang onto their first reaction. 

He knew he was not normal-looking. Deep, thick scar tissue ran from the top of his forehead down to his chin, an angry reddish-brown against his deep tan. His eye was scarred over, barely moving. He couldn't really see out of it, which was what the glasses were for. 

The scars on his face matched the ones on his chest and arms. The skin around those was paler, like it wasn't really his. That's because it technically wasn't, since he had to have skin grafts. Even without the scars, he knew he would still be odd looking. He was 'stocky' according to his mom, which he knew was just her trying not to call him fat. 

Despite how large he looked, he wasn't even over-weight. He was just on the bigger side, and being tall as hell didn't help either. He'd gotten used to the judging stares over the years. He was healthy and happy and that was all that mattered.   
  
(Well, he wasn't happy, but that had nothing to do with his looks.)

Between the scars and his weight and his insistence on dressing the way he wanted to, he'd gotten a lot of shit at his old school. Or, well, he did until someone got a little too ballsy and ended up getting sent to hospital. Ron hadn't meant to break his nose, but everyone leaving him alone was worth it.

Hopefully he didn't have to do that here. His mom might murder him. 

It took a couple seconds for Veron to realize the woman was still staring at him. By now the others had noticed. Mary looked absolutely mortified, and he could see her cringe out of the corner of his eye. Everyone else was equally tense.

Quelling his urge to toss up his breakfast, he forced himself to laugh. To him it sounded strained, but the small sigh of "thank god" from Neil made him relax a bit. At least someone bought the act.

"I know, I know. Pretty gnarly, right?" Veron said. He hoped to god his voice wasn't as shaky as it felt. He brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes, wincing as his hand brushed the sensitive scar tissue. It didn't hurt, but it was sharp and distinct and not entirely pleasant.

The blonde smiled uneasily. "I'm sorry, it was rude of me to stare. Nice to meet you, I'm Ms. Fisher," she breathed. Veron shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and tried not to make eye contact.

"Hi. I'm Ms. Johnson, but just call me Lisa. What's your name?" the brunette woman asked. Ms. Fisher turned to drink more of her wine, also avoiding eye contact.

"Oh. Uh, hi folks. It's Veron, but you can call me Ron," he said. He turned back to see that Larry was now leaning up against the wall. He too, was staring at Ron, but he seemed more concerned than shocked. Come to think of it, nobody else in the room had seemed all that bothered by his face. Maybe Mary had warned them earlier?

Mia, who had up till now been quiet, piped up. "I mean, those look pretty bad. How'd it happen? Did you get into an accident or something?" She asked. Despite the innocence of her questions, Veron felt his breath stop in his throat. He saw flashes of red in his vision, and suddenly the nausea was back.

Mary made a sound under her breath, almost like a growl but less intense. Ash hissed under her breath, wincing. Larry seemed a little panicked. Despite not knowing Ron, everyone seemed to know that that was a bad question.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He was two seconds away from puking or screaming, and he didn't want to embarrass Mary or himself.

"Oh. Oh, god. Was that a bad question? I'm so sorry," Mia said. He winced at the guilt in her voice.

"It's... it's fine. Not your fault," he said, trying his best to smile and not make this awkward. Mia smiled back at him, looking back at Mary to make sure she hadn't fucked up further.

The music from the room stopped, and out walked yet another person. They had long, blue hair in pigtails and blue eyes. Those eyes were shown through a thick white mask with a patch of pink. Veron recognized it as a prosthetic, like the ones he'd been shown after the incident, before they knew how much of his face he'd have left.

The person was short and thin, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and ripped, black jeans. They noticed him almost immediately. Their eye darted across his face, taking in the scars and the obvious distress.

"Hey. My name's Sally Face. You are?" they asked. Veron dumbly nodded, before realising he'd been asked a question.

"Veron, but you can call me Ron," he said, trying not to stare at Sally. Mary hopped off the couch, darting over to Ron.

"Macaroni, can I borrow your phone?" She asked. Ron handed it to her without even looking back. She started dialing, as Todd also stood up.

"Am I driving?" Todd asked. Neil leaned back in his seat, fumbling through his own pockets. Mary moved out of the room to make her call.

"I'll drive," Neil offered. Larry stood up from the wall, and walked over to Ron. Veron noticed his walk was a little weird, more of a shuffle than anything else.

"So, Veron, ever been ghost hunting?" Larry asked. Veron looked back, skeptical.

"Ghosts don't exist," Veron watched as Ash clambered over Mia, who was still sitting on the ground," Everything paranormal can be explained with science." Lary snorted and Sally muttered somethi g under his breath.

"Oh god, I wish they didn't exist. Do we have to do this tonight? I have homework," Ash said. Neil finally retrieved his keys from his pocket. Mia stood from the ground and patted down her hair so it wasn't all poofed out.

"Yes we do, Ash. Mia is going out of town for a couple days and I don't want her to miss this. Todd, is the gear already in your car?" Sal walked to the door to grab the backpack beside it. 

"Yeah. Mary, you ready?" Todd asked. Mary skipped back into the room and tossed Ron his phone.

"Yep! Veron, your Mom said you can come with us," Mary said. Todd nodded, then immediately began ushering everyone out of the apartment.

Veron shot Mary a dirty look and mouthed, "Ask me next time." As they all walked up to the van. As they all piled into it, with Neil and Todd up front, Sal, Larry, and Ash in the middle, and Mia, Mary, and Ron in the back.

"Should take about forty-five minutes," Neil said. As the van rolled off to their destination, and everyone around him started chatting up a storm, Veron found himself drifting off to sleep.


	4. The House in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veron visits a real haunted house, but the only ghost he encounters is his own memories.
> 
> TWS FOR BLOOD AND FLASHBACKS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, it's been a while, huh? Sorry for the delay but I hit a huge patch of writer's block. Luckily, the break gave me time to reinvest in this storyline. I dropped a lot of major characterization in this one. Be sure to ask questions ;)

Veron woke up drenched in sweat, trembling. He felt removed from his surroundings. His nightmare replayed in his head over and over. That shadowy figure walking away from the house, the footprints leading away from the shed, the slightly open door...  
"Yo, Ron? You okay, man? You look pale," someone asked. Veron's vision cleared to reveal Neil looking back at him. Right, he was in the car. Where were they going again?   
  
"Fine, I'm fine, Neil. Where are we?" Veron mumbled, rubbing at his temple. Mary leaned over Mia to pat down Veron's hair. 

"You need to comb your hair, Macaroni," Mary said. Ron stared at her blankly as he slowly pulled himself back together. Some of his brain was still floating in the void, but most of the fatigue from his dreams was easy to overcome.

He still couldn't remember where they were going. The car was starting to slow down. Glancing out the window, he noticed that the sun was significantly lower than before. "Where are we?" Ron asked again, softly.   
  
Sal turned towards him, one of his eyes focused. His mask made it difficult to read him. "One of the old houses past the lake. There's a ghost here," Sal said. As he spoke, his head bobbed back and forth. The bounciness Sal had gave him a strange aura. Like a rubber doll. 

The car came to a full stop, and Ron immediately began fiddling with his seat belt. Larry pulled himself out of the car, nearly elbowing Ash in the face as she followed him. "Be careful! You're like all elbows man," Ashley shouted. 

Larry laughed a little. His laugh was deep, starting as a rumble and letting out as loud barks, like a guard dog except less menacing.  
Not that Veron noticed.  
  
He stepped out of the car, his feet sinking slightly into the wet grass. The house in the distance was blurry and distorted. He reached up to push his glasses forward and instead poked himself in his scarred eye.   
"Fucking hell," he mumbled to himself, eye watering. His glasses must have fell off. 

He turned around and bent down to rummage around the car for them. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Neil holding his glasses. "You dropped these," he said. Neil's voice was smooth and even, a little buttery with an air of wisdom to it that was very comforting.

Nodding, Veron took his glasses back and carefully put them on. As his vision leveled out, he took in the sight of the old house before him. The lawn was filled with weeds and tall grass as nature reclaimed the land. The roof was caved in, debris scattered around the building like something out of an apocalypse film. Wind whistled through the dusty, shattered windows. A shiver ran down his spine.   
  
Mary was by the house's door, peering in through the little window. Her blonde curls caught wisps of dust and leaves that went unnoticed as she strained to see inside the building. Larry and Todd poked around nearby, talking loudly about some set of prints outside the house. 

"It's probably from a bear or something," Larry said. Veron felt his heart drop for just a second at the mention of a bear, but he calmed as Todd shook his head, kneeling down to get a closer look. 

"No, definitely not a bear. Prints are too small, even for a cub. Maybe a fox?" Todd mused. Larry shrugged, turning away from the prints and trotting back to the larger group.

"Got the boy?" Mia asked Sally as she dug around in her bag for something. Sally nodded and pulled out what looked like a modified Gearboy.   
  
Ash looked up at the cabin's roof. "I don't think we should go in there," she said, her voice wavering slightly. 

Mary huffed as she pushed open the door. "Ash, don't be a baby! Hurry up and get over here!" she hollered, before entering the run-down house with no hesitation.

"Don't pick on Ash, Mary," Neil said back before turning to Ash again," Don't worry. You don't have to go inside unless you want too." Ash shook her head and went to follow Mary into the building. Mia pulled a flashlight out, and the group entered the small house cautiously.   
  
The furniture was old and worn out. Shelves lined with books clung pathetically to the walls, and piles of garbage and clutter ruled the small space. The whole house reeked of stale blood and decay, and of years of being untouched by anything human. The wallpaper was peeling off the musty boards, and the carpet beneath their feet shook up dust with every step. Sal coughed loudly, startling everyone. 

Something skittered away from them into the other room. Veron jumped, already feeling nauseous. The house was eerily cold, and it gave him the distinct feeling of existential horror he'd never truly experienced before. From beside him, Larry began to speak. 

"Yep. Definitely a horror movie house if I've ever seen one. How long has this place been abandoned?" Larry asked, ducking to avoid a low-hanging basket of long-dead plants.

"Six years according to the newspapers. A Mrs. Jenny Walters was murdered here. Police say it was her husband but knowing their track record..." Todd trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly staring off into the distance. Veron followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at.   
  
On the wall hung a framed painting of two faces. One was a beautiful brunette woman with a soft smile. The other was a similar looking woman, except with bright blonde curls. It looked old, probably antique. The outfits they wore were reminiscent of a time long before them, perhaps the late 1800s.

"I recognize that from somewhere," Todd said out loud, his brow furrowing. Neil looked back and forth between Todd and the painting, trying to connect the dots.   
  
"Maybe it's a copy? The original might be in the local museum," Neil supplied helpfully. Everyone made small noises of agreement, except for Sally, who was busy fiddling with his device.

Mary then dove behind a sofa, and pulled up...a skull. A human skull. Her eyes shone slightly. "Look guys! A skull!" she said, excited like a little girl on Christmas Day.  
  
"What the fuck, Mary! Put that back where you found it," shrieked Ash, flailing about in shock. Veron found himself gagging a little. 

"Mary, we've talked about this," Mia said quietly. Despite the exasperated tone, she seemed rather amused by the whole situation. Todd pinched the bridge of his nose and glared sternly at Mary. 

"Put that back. We have no clue whose skull that is, and frankly, it's revolting you'd touch bones without gloves," he said. 

Mary rolled her eyes a little. "It's fake you guys. Obviously I'm not gonna pick up a real skull," she snapped.

"I dunno, Mary, you've done stupider things before," Sal said innocently, his tone alone betraying the teasing smirk on his face beneath his mask.  
  
Mary discarded the (hopefully) fake skull, and then hopped over the old sofa with calculated ease. Sal turned back to his work, sighing loudly. "Gearboy is giving me a bit of trouble, this might take a minute or two," he explained. Veron anxiously looked around the small house, biting his lip.  
  
"That's okay, Sal. Take your time," Larry said just as Mia interjected with," We need to hurry, I don't want to be here when the sun goes down." The two of them made eye contact, Larry seeming a little surprised, as if he hadn't expected Mia to sound so worried. 

"Why? Scared of the dark?" Mary teased, though she seemed a bit preoccupied trying to pry up a bit of the carpet that had come loose.   
Mia glared at her back, pouting. "The aura here is giving me the creeps. Something bad happened here, something very, very terrible..." Mia trailed off, staring out a broken window with an intensity to her gaze that almost frightened Veron. Everyone seemed to pick up on her distress, and the air in the room began to feel suffocating. 

Ash coughed, grabbing her camera and turning away from the group. "I'm gonna take some pictures," she said. Neil nodded, and then tugged on Todd's arm.

"Let's see what kind of stuff she has in her collection," Neil said, waving at all the books on the walls. Todd nodded in agreement, looking back at Sal for a moment before walking away. Larry, clearly not taking this very seriously, began poking around the piles in the room with Mary.  
  
Veron stood and watched for a bit, but he felt an odd, unexplained tug pulling him towards the door at the other end of the house. He cautiously surveyed the group before slipping past Sal and heading to the door. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment, a sense of dread and anticipation filling his lungs.   
  
He took the plunge, turning the handle and listening to the quiet click as the door opened, the hinges creaking as if under intense pressure. 

The room appeared to be a bedroom. The bed however, was covered by a large chunk of the roof. Veron couldn't help but wonder if the rest of the roof would cave in as well. The image of being trapped under falling debris, lungs filled with sawdust and gravel, was not pretty. 

Veron stepped into the room, and as he turned his head to look around, he froze. Blood rushed to his head and he nearly screamed. 

The beast was tall, far taller than an average man. Standing on its hind legs, it towered over him. Matted black fur and large grizzly claws gave it the appearance of death itself, come to finally claim the life it had been denied five years ago.

Veron's breath caught in his throat as his legs gave out beneath him. The sting of his hands hitting the rough carpet did little to bring him back to reality. He began sweating profusely, and he attempted in vain to wipe away the moisture. His chest hurt. Why did his chest hurt?   
  
Suddenly he was back in the woods. He smelled nothing but blood. Their was terrible pain radiating in his face and chest. His back hurt too, but that pain came from the limp body he was dragging through the woods. 

She groaned above him, coughing and spluttering like she was at death's door. He could feel her blood soaking his own shirt. He couldn't really see much, just the small stretch of woods right in front of him, but he could hear. Hear the footsteps and roaring of the great beast further into the woods. He was starting to slow down. The pain in his chest was unbearable now, and he could barely breathe.

He was going to die, he just knew it. All he could think of was his mother, sitting at home all alone. Would she ever find their bodies? Would she be okay on her own? Who would wake her up in the mornings, drag her out of bed and away from the previous night's bottles of wine? Who would help her in the kitchen, who would call her at work to remind her of important events? Who was going to take care of his mother, like she'd taken care of him these past twelve years? 

Then he heard someone's voice, calling to him. He couldn't quite recognize it. It wasn't familiar, exactly, but he knew it. Who was it? Why were they here? No one was ever in the part of the woods. Not after what happened to him and Mary. 

Wait, happened. Happened to him and Mary. As in, past tense. It already happened. He shouldn't be here. Where was he again? 

With great effort, Veron closed his eyes and focused on trying to breathe. "Flashback. This is just a flashback," he thought to himself, desperately trying to ignore the weight on his back. It wasn't there. He strained his ears and picked up idle chatter from the next room, the squeaky, loud voice of his best friend. 

"Breathe. Breathe. Don't try to get up just yet or you'll fall. Focus, what can you feel?" Veron ran his hands along the ground and felt for the seams in the carpet and the small debris scattered around him. He tried to ignore the smell of blood, focusing on the dust in the air and the sounds of life from the other room. 

Someone came up behind him, slowly, as if trying not to startle him. The footsteps he recognized as being Mary's. She walked weird. Maybe she should see someone about that.

"Macaroni, are you okay?" she said softly. He felt her kneel down beside him, heard the concern in her voice. He forced his eyes to open to take in her face.  
  
"How long have I been in here?" he rasped, grasping for what remained of his composure. Mary's face flooded with concern.  
  
"Ten minutes, I think. Could be more. The Gearboy's finally working. Can you move?" Mary asked him. After a few seconds, Ron nodded, pushing himself up of the ground. His knees buckled a little, but Mary caught him, so he didn't tumble over.   
  
"Do you want to go sit outside?" Mary asked. Ron shook his head. 

"No, no, I'm fine now. I'll...be okay. Let's go see some ghosts, alright?" Veron said, but even he wasn't convinced. Mary frowned at him, but he shook off her concern and detached her from his side. "I can walk," he said, despite feeling light-headed and drained. 

He didn't want to be coddled. It was just a flashback, he had those all the time. He'd be fine as long as he kept busy.

He exited the room, staring blankly at the glowing green Gearboy Sal held tightly. As soon as Veron approached the group it flickered, nearly shutting off.  
  
"Ugh! What's wrong with you today?" Sal groaned. Veron forced himself to laugh with the group.  
  
"Just do the summoning thing, please. I have to get home before dark," Ash said. Sal nodded as he fiddled with a few buttons.   
  
As the strange green light grew brighter, something began to rise from a chair in the room, bits of rotting flesh slowly forming something solid from thin air. Everyone gagged a little except Sal and Larry, who both just watched in silence.

The ghost was finally awake. And she was not happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
